Master Bedroom– found it at the Big Box

Photo courtesy of Katherine Bish

I recently designed a model home, on a budget, for Town & Country Homes, Inc. in the Central West End, St. Louis, Missouri.

For budget-wise furnishings we turned to Ashley Furniture. This company has been around a long time, but in recent years it has exploded with growth, while other furniture companies have been struggling. In the last two years, five Ashley Homestores have opened in the St. Louis area.

They top just about everyone's list for known value and selection. As a result, Ashley is the most often chosen furniture brand for television home makeover shows.

In Style. In Reach. That is their slogan and it fits.

We furnished the entire bedroom with Ashley's contemporary Metro Silhouette -- headboard and bed frame, dresser with mirror and night stand -- for only $675.75.

For the lamp, I bought a shade at Wal-Mart on sale for $9.96. It was the right shape and right price, but the wrong color. I painted it brown to match our color palette. The lamp base was found at Target for under $30.


















The small decorative mirrors above the headboard were an IKEA find for under $3 each, a total of $15.

I found the window treatment panels at Sears, which, though regularly priced at $40 for a pair, had been marked down to $20. I found the curtain rod, regularly $50, in the clearance section at Bed Bath & Beyond for $4.97. That was a steal. It had a very slight dent which I secured towards the wall out of view.

The total cost of the window treatments was under $50 to dress the two windows. Had I not searched items in the scratch and dent and clearance sections I would have paid $130. My savings: $85.




So don't forget to look at those clearance aisles for big savings!

The bed comforter set was found at Target for $100.


I found a decorative glass bowl and vase on sale at Wal-Mart for under $20. The circular design and blue and brown colors mimic the circular patterns and color in the bedspread.

Our grand total for the bedroom: $894.96. That's a lot of bang for your Big-Box buck!

Because this bedroom is in a model home, it is void of any personal history by design. Model homes are to be generic so potential buyers can envision their belongings in the room.

However, this room is off to a great start to become a personal space. Just add some Etsy finds, heirlooms and special touches.

As this bedroom demonstrates, the Big Boxes offer great savings for the budget-minded decorator.